David O'List (born 13 December 1948) is an English rock guitarist, vocalist and trumpeter. He has played with The Attack,

The Nice The Nice were an English progressive rock band active in the late 1960s. They blended rock, jazz and classical music and were keyboardist Keith Emerson's first commercially successful band. The group was formed in 1967 by Emerson, Lee Jack ...

Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera (guitar), Andy Mackay (saxophone ...

(before being replaced by

Phil Manzanera Phillip Geoffrey Targett-Adams (born 31 January 1951), known professionally as Phil Manzanera, is an English guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the lead guitarist with Roxy Music, and was the lead guitarist with 801, and Quiet Su ...

), and Jet (replaced by Ian Macleod). He also briefly deputised in Jethro Tull and

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics an ...

Career

O'List (using the name David John) started The Attack in 1966. Managed by

Don Arden Don Arden (born Harry Levy; 4 January 1926 – 21 July 2007) was an English music manager, agent, and businessman. He managed the careers of rock acts such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Air Supply, Small Faces, The Move, Black Sabbat ...

, they released four singles: "Try It"/"We Don't Know" (Decca F 12550), "Hi Ho Silver Lining"/"Anymore Than I Do" (Decca F 12578), "Created By Clive"/"Colour Of My Mind" (Decca F 12631) and "Neville Thumbcatch"/"Lady Orange Peel" (Decca F 12725).

The Nice

O'List was picked by

Andrew Loog Oldham Andrew Loog Oldham (born 29 January 1944) is an English record producer, talent manager, impresario and author. He was manager and producer of the Rolling Stones from 1963 to 1967, and was noted for his flamboyant style. Early life Loog Oldha ...

as guitarist for The Nice with organist and pianist

Keith Emerson Keith Noel Emerson (2 November 1944 – 11 March 2016) was an English keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer. He played keyboards in a number of bands before finding his first commercial success with the Nice in the late 1960s. He becam ...

, bassist and singer Lee Jackson and drummer Ian Hague, then a backing band for

P. P. Arnold Patricia Ann Cole (born October 3, 1946), known professionally as P. P. Arnold, is an American soul singer. Arnold began her career as an Ikette with the Ike & Tina Turner Revue in 1965. The following year she relocated to London to pursue a solo ...

and left The Attack in February 1967. By May the band was gigging in its own right and appeared at the

National Jazz and Blues Festival The National Jazz and Blues Festival was the precursor to the Reading Rock Festival and was the brainchild of Harold Pendleton, the founder of the prestigious Marquee Club in Soho. History Initially called The National Jazz Festival, it was a ...

that summer; their first album, however, did not appear until early 1968. Their only hit single, a re-worked version of

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

's "

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

", reached number 21 in the UK in July of that year. O'List's style in The Nice was described by Bruce Eder of

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

as " Hendrix-ish guitar ... in sharp relief." However, with two strong instrumentalists competing, O'List left The Nice in autumn 1968 during the recordings for their second album. While with The Nice, O'List briefly substituted for

Syd Barrett Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) was an English singer, songwriter, and musician who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd in 1965. Barrett was their original frontman and primary songwriter, becoming known for his ...

in 1967. "That was incredible," he recalled fifty years later. "It felt like a dream because it was on Floyd's package tour with

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

. I knew Floyd's music really well – so, when they asked me to play with them, it was quite easy." Asked if the Floyd considered him as a permanent replacement for Barrett, he said: "Apparently they gave it some thought. They certainly came to see me play live a few times, but I was only nineteen and still quite green in the business. I should have pushed myself more."

After the Nice

O'List also played briefly in Jethro Tull after the departure of

Mick Abrahams Michael Timothy Abrahams (born 7 April 1943) is an English guitarist and band leader, best known for being the original guitarist for Jethro Tull from 1967 to 1968 and the frontman for Blodwyn Pig. Jethro Tull Abrahams was born in Luton, ...

. In early 1970 O'List provided guitar and bass for

The Misunderstood The Misunderstood were an American psychedelic rock band originating from Riverside, California in the mid-1960s. The band moved to London early in their career, and although they recorded only a handful of songs before being forced to disband, ...

and then

between October 1971 and February 1972. He played in the band's first BBC session in January 1972, before leaving the group. O'List reunited with Roxy Music vocalist

Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry CBE (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to ''The Independent'', Ferry an ...

in 1974 as one of the guitarists on Ferry's second solo album, '' Another Time, Another Place''. Ferry's hit cover of " The 'In' Crowd" featured an O'List guitar solo. After Roxy Music, O'List joined Jet in 1974. They released one album in 1975 and toured as support to Hunter-Ronson. O'List wrote their first single ''My River''. He was also the first member be ejected from the band.

Solo career

O'List released a solo album in 1997, entitled ''Flight of the Eagle''. His second solo release ''Second Thoughts'' was released in 2015 and reissued in 2021.

References

External links

* Davy O'List biographyat

website
An Interview With The Nice's Davy O'List By Keith Jordan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olist, David Living people English rock guitarists English session musicians English songwriters People from Chiswick Glam rock musicians The Nice members Roxy Music members 1948 births